Current trends indicate that the Internet address space will be strained further as the deployment of new wireless access networks (e.g.: CDMA2000, 802.11) enables diverse and potentially mobile end-systems such as telemetry devices, sensors, personal digital assistants, (PDAs), laptops to be connected to the Internet. In the past, Network Address Translation (NAT) devices have been widely used to combat the problem of exhaustion of IP address space. Given that widespread deployment of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) networks is still not on the horizon, NAT will continue to be an attractive solution that offers added benefits such as frequent changes in addressing plans and easy support for large public networks without exhausting IP addresses.
Consider a heterogeneous network including a plurality of different service provider domains. These may include: two NATed IP networks with private address space and 802.11 infrastructure, a 3G network with private address space and a public address space campus network. Consider a mobile node (MN) connected to a public host corresponding node (CN) using transport control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP). The connection should be preserved when the MN moves from one access point to another, and from one network to another. However, any of the following scenarios can occur:
1. When the MN moves to a new 802.11 access point (AP) in the same subnet, the IP address of MN remains the same. However, the MN needs to detect that the signal strength from the older AP has reduced, and signal strength from the new AP has increased. The MN disassociates with the old AP and re-authenticates with the new AP.
2. When the MN moves from a first subnet A to a second subnet B, the routable IP address of MN changes. It acquires a new IP address using dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP.) However, this breaks the existing TCP connection.
3. When the MN moves from one NAT domain to another, the IP address space, hence the mobile node's IP address, may change. The CN still sends the packets in the connection to the old NAT.
4. An MN with both 802.11 and 3G wireless interfaces may move from an 802.11 network to a 3G network and still wish to preserve the existing connections.
5. When the MN moves from a private address space to a public address space it acquires a new global public address. The private address is no longer valid in this public network.